Heater for tool handles



y 6, 1958 c. BARBER 2,833,271

HEATER FOR TOOL HANDLES Filed June 1, 1955 F/G. 1 M 5Q 4 r I INVENTO Q CZ. YDE 5A 2 5 ATTUZ/VE Y5 2,833,271 HEATER Fon TooL HANDLES Clyde Barber, Al Tahoe, Calif. Application June 1, 1955, Serial No. 512,505

1 Claim. (Cl. 126-208) This invention relates to improvements in tool handles having heating means therein of the liquid fuel burning type.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a heater as described which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, consumes a minimum amount of fuel when in use, operates for a relatively extended length of time without refueling, is easy to assemble and disassemble, and does not interfere with normal use of the tool.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hammer having a heated tool handle formed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section, still further enlarged, on line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a transverse section, on the same scale as Figure 3, on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral designates a tool handle, and a tool head 12 is carried by the handle 10. The tool handle 10 has a bore 14 which extends inwardly from one end or the end opposite the tool head 12 and terminates at a point adjacent the other end or the tool head 12.

A heating assembly is mounted in the bore 14 of the tool handle 10. Such assembly comprises a pair of hollow open ended cylinders 20 and 26 respectively, which are arranged in confronting end to end relation and have the confronting ends detachably secured together in overlapping relation. As shown, the portion adjacent the confronting open end 24 of the cylinder 20 is of reduced diameter and is telescopically and detachably received in the flared portion adjacent the confronting open end of the cylinder 26 and indicated by the numeral. 21. The cylinder 20 has the other open end closed, as indicated by the numeral 18 and said cylinder is filled with a liquid fuel absorbing material 22, such as cotton wadding, or other absorbent material, the cylinder 20 being subsequently referred to as a fuel cylinder.

A burner unit is fixedly positioned within the cylinder 26 inwardly of the end 21 and extends across the cylinder 26. The burner unit embodies a coil spring 32 which is housed in an asbestos covering 34 of woven material. The unit is positioned within the cylinder 26 so that the coil 22 extends diametrically across the cylinder. The cylinder 26 has an opening, in this instance, opposed openings 38, Figure 4, at the location of the burner unit for access to said unit.

The cylinder 26 has opposed indentations 28 at the location of the burner unit. Resilient detent means or longitudinally disposed leaf springs 30 are mounted on the cylinder 20 and extend across the overlapping secured ends of the cylinders 20 and 26 and have their free ends 27 retainably engaged in the indentations 28 of the cyl- 2,833,271 Patented may s, 1958] inder 26, The cylinder 26 in the portion between the:

burner unit and the other open end is provided with a plurality of spaced perforations 36 foregress of heated air therethrough. The portion of the tool handle 10 complemental to the perforation containing portion of the cylinder 26 is provided with openings 50 which extend transversely therethroiugh and are in communication with the bore 14 of the tool handle 10.

A cap 42 is positioned adjacent to and spaced from the other open end 25 of the cylinder 26, and a compression coil spring 40 is interposed between and is operatively connected to the cap 42 and to the other open end of the cylinder 26. Specifically, one end of the spring 40 abuts against the other open end 25 of the cylinder 26, the other end of which engages against a removable cap 42 having a cylindrical skirt 44 engaged in axial bore 14, said skirt extending about the spring 40 and being formed with diametrically opposed bayonet slots 46 engageable with a cross pin 48 extending transversely within axial bore 14 and secured to the handle 10.

Another compression coil spring 16 is between the terminating end of the bore 14 of the tool handle 10 and the closed end 18 of the cylinder 20.

In use, the fuel container 20 is filled with liquid fuel in a sufficient amount to saturate the cotton wadding 22, and the heating cylinder 26 is then attached to the fuel container. A flame is applied through the slots 38 of the cylinder 26 to the cover 34 on the spring 32 for a time sufiicient to ignite the burner constituted by the spring 32 and its covering 34. The device is then inserted in bore 14, after which the cap .42 is secured in position to close the outer end of bore 14.

The device will now heat the tool handle, and in addition, heat will be transmitted through the radial openings 50, so that a hand grasping the tool handle will be warmed.

The springs 16 and 40 are welded or otherwise fixedly secured to a fuel container 20 and to the heating cylinder 26, respectively, and serve to eliminate percussion or vibratory shock when the tool is in use.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In combination with a tool handle having a bore extending inwardly from one end and terminating at a point adjacent the other end, of a heating assembly mounted in said bore, said assembly comprising a pair of hollow open ended cylinders arranged in confronting end to end relation and having the confronting ends detachably secured together in overlapping relation, one of said cylinders having the other end closed and filled with a liquid fuel absorbing material, a burner unit fixedly positioned Within the other of said cylinders inwardly of the confronting end and extending across said other cylinder, said other cylinder having opposed indentations at the location of said burner unit, resilient detent means mounted on said one cylinder extending across the overlapping secured ends and having free ends retainably engaged in said indentations, there being an opening in said other cylinder at the location of said burner unit for access to said unit, said other cylinder in the portion between said burner unit and the other end being provided with a plurality of spaced perforations for egress of heated air therethrough, the portion of said tool handle complemental to said other to the other end of'said other cylinder, said cap closing:

said one end of said handle and attached to the tool handle, and another coil spring between the terminating end ofsaid bore and'the closed end of said one cylinder.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Bowditch Nov. 6, 1906 'Krebs Apr. 18, 1916 Schmitt Jan. 18, 1935 Gibbs Oct. 31, 1950 Smith Dec. 25, 1951 Sweet Sept. 8, 1953 Phipps Aug. 14, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 4, 1932 Switzerland Jan. 2, 1934 

